England's September qualifying games

[ozzie]

The only game we were ok-goodish was at home v Jockland.The rest very uninspiring!!
Southgate keeps telling us we are getting better,but sadly i cannot see it.

 

[ozzie]

See Southgate is playing lots of new/younger players.
A different team,which i think is good.
I expect a far better game tonight,cannot be worse than the last.
3-0 England,i hope

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

Another dour show, side side side back side and then give the ball away!
Poor

 

[ozzie]

but Southgate TOLD us we are getting better:omg:

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

but Southgate TOLD us we are getting better:omg:

Perhaps against Germany and Brazil next month? :facepalm:

 

[EastStandBlue]

Meh. We'd already qualified, were away from home in a cold, drizzly part of Europe, experimenting with a largely new system while also incorporating some of the young blood coming through. If you were expecting scintillating football then you were always going to be left wanting.

Thought the stand out performer was Harry Winks. Made Jordan Henderson look like the pedestrian operator he truly is.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

Meh. We'd already qualified, were away from home in a cold, drizzly part of Europe, experimenting with a largely new system while also incorporating some of the young blood coming through. If you were expecting scintillating football then you were always going to be left wanting.

Thought the stand out performer was Harry Winks. Made Jordan Henderson look like the pedestrian operator he truly is.

Coaches will tell that the "system" is what is important with a squad and a tournament; players all knowing what the theory is and how to be a part of the team.
From the games I have watched England in lately Willo Atkinson (of the side side back) is almost ready for his international debut.
And as you state, with Henderson, for example is this the bench mark for midfield expression that Southgate is propagating?

 

[Sandbach Shrimper]

For a country that's always produced great central midfielders in the past, we have a real lack of them at the moment. When Fabian Delph and Jake Livermore are getting in the squad you know you have problems. Beyond Alli, Dier and Henderson, Southgate really doesn't have much to choose from. If Jack Wilshere is fit I'd take him to Russia. At least we have a few youngsters like Winks, Tom Davies and Chalobah coming through.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Meh. We'd already qualified, were away from home in a cold, drizzly part of Europe, experimenting with a largely new system while also incorporating some of the young blood coming through. If you were expecting scintillating football then you were always going to be left wanting.

Thought the stand out performer was Harry Winks. Made Jordan Henderson look like the pedestrian operator he truly is.

Should we be expecting "scintillating football" from England in Russia then? Don't think so.:sad:

Btw,Villanus can be quite pleasant in August/September.Highly recommended.

 

[londonblue]

Should we be expecting "scintillating football" from England in Russia then? Don't think so.:sad:

Btw,Villanus can be quite pleasant in August/September.Highly recommended.

Unfortunately I think you're right. Glenn Hoddle had it spot on in my opinion: we need to counter attack. We need to let teams come on to us and then hit them with pace, which we have plenty of.

It also seemed to me that too many players last night weren't prepared to take their man on. They just stopped and went either sideways or backwards. I know it's not always that easy, but in 90 minutes of football there will always be opportunities to do so. It's almost as if they have been told to keep the ball at all costs rather than being a bit braver and being prepared to fail.

That said, there were a lot of players out there with very little experience who are trying to impress in the hope of making it into the squad, and giving the ball away won't do that.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

For a country that's always produced great central midfielders in the past, we have a real lack of them at the moment. When Fabian Delph and Jake Livermore are getting in the squad you know you have problems. Beyond Alli, Dier and Henderson, Southgate really doesn't have much to choose from. If Jack Wilshere is fit I'd take him to Russia. At least we have a few youngsters like Winks, Tom Davies and Chalobah coming through.

Carlton Palmer, Geoff Thomas....

 

[kaymac]

Unfortunately I think you're right. Glenn Hoddle had it spot on in my opinion: we need to counter attack. We need to let teams come on to us and then hit them with pace, which we have plenty of.

It also seemed to me that too many players last night weren't prepared to take their man on. They just stopped and went either sideways or backwards. I know it's not always that easy, but in 90 minutes of football there will always be opportunities to do so. It's almost as if they have been told to keep the ball at all costs rather than being a bit braver and being prepared to fail.

That said, there were a lot of players out there with very little experience who are trying to impress in the hope of making it into the squad, and giving the ball away won't do that.

Agree we have plenty of pace up front but with a donkey like Henderson holding up play in the middle (as he does time and time again) the ball will never reach the front lads quickly enough.

 

[BrettieAngell]

Carlton Palmer, Geoff Thomas....

Great days they were, great days. :unsure:

 

[EastStandBlue]

Talk of Southgate preferring a 3-4-2-1 formation which I happen to think brings out the best of our best players. Square pegs in square holes, I'd go with the following starting XI on current form:

Butland
Keane - Stones - P. Jones/Cahill
Rose - Winks - Dier - Walker
Alli - Sterling
Kane

Rashford can change games from the bench. As can Lingard. Trippier, Bertrand and Cresswell valid deputees in the wing-back roles. Henderson an option if we need to (drastically) slow the pace of a game down. Sturridge in the squad for comedic value.

 

[londonblue]

Agree we have plenty of pace up front but with a donkey like Henderson holding up play in the middle (as he does time and time again) the ball will never reach the front lads quickly enough.

It's a bit unfair to call Henderson a donkey. He's a fantastic footballer. Just because you don't like him doesn't mean you should feel it necessary to insult him.

However, you are correct in my opinion that he lacks creativity, but so do a lot of players in our central midfield. Henderson isn't the only one. Ideally we'd have a fired up Barkley or even a Wilshere should be ever be fit.

I've told this many a time. When Hoddle was manager the squad used to practice counter attacking. They practiced a drill where a team had 6 seconds to score or they had to give the ball to the other team. We need to be doing that now.

 

[EastStandBlue]

It's a bit unfair to call Henderson a donkey. He's a fantastic footballer. Just because you don't like him doesn't mean you should feel it necessary to insult him.

However, you are correct in my opinion that he lacks creativity, but so do a lot of players in our central midfield. Henderson isn't the only one. Ideally we'd have a fired up Barkley or even a Wilshere should be ever be fit.

I've told this many a time. When Hoddle was manager the squad used to practice counter attacking. They practiced a drill where a team had 6 seconds to score or they had to give the ball to the other team. We need to be doing that now.

Why exactly? Do we even have the players to counter quickly? We need someone in midfield capable of pivoting and driving forward, either with the ball or with an incisive pass, and nothing I’ve seen from Henderson or Dier has shown me they’re capable of that. Also, when was the last time England ever countered with great consistency?

This, for me, is one of the biggest problems holding England back. After Spain won consecutive competitions we spoke of our need to take better care of the ball, particularly in midfield and in the 5 and 6 roles. So we spent time and dedicated coaching resource into working on that. Then Germany came to the fore with a slightly more dynamic approach and suddenly we’re not quick enough going forward.

We haven’t, for decades now, had our own identity. We’re too preoccupied with parroting someone else’s after periods of success. Until we’re actually comfortable in our own skin, and are confident enough to produce players to fit a desired ethos or culture, then we’ll only ever amount to being a copy of a team that has since moved on.

I’d argue France are a fantastic example of this at the moment too. They’ve some wonderful players, probably one of the most complete squads on the national scene at the moment, and yet they’ve made hard work of qualification and Deschamps has no idea what he’s doing with that squad.

 

[Uncle Leo]

I was at the Slovenia game on Thursday night and people saying that the paper aeroplanes flying on to the pitch were the main highlight are completely wrong.

It was of course two blokes behind me nearly getting in to a fight and having to be pulled apart by their mates because one of them had read his seat number incorrectly.

 

[kaymac]

It's a bit unfair to call Henderson a donkey. He's a fantastic footballer. Just because you don't like him doesn't mean you should feel it necessary to insult him.

However, you are correct in my opinion that he lacks creativity, but so do a lot of players in our central midfield. Henderson isn't the only one. Ideally we'd have a fired up Barkley or even a Wilshere should be ever be fit.

I've told this many a time. When Hoddle was manager the squad used to practice counter attacking. They practiced a drill where a team had 6 seconds to score or they had to give the ball to the other team. We need to be doing that now.

...and it's a uncalled-for to call him fantastic, that's an insult to good players. Watch him closely, he always looks lost and doesn't know what to do next.

 

[kaymac]

Talk of Southgate preferring a 3-4-2-1 formation which I happen to think brings out the best of our best players. Square pegs in square holes, I'd go with the following starting XI on current form:

Butland
Keane - Stones - P. Jones/Cahill
Rose - Winks - Dier - Walker
Alli - Sterling
Kane

Rashford can change games from the bench. As can Lingard. Trippier, Bertrand and Cresswell valid deputees in the wing-back roles. Henderson an option if we need to (drastically) slow the pace of a game down. Sturridge in the squad for comedic value.

Winks as a starter at the top international tourney, surely not. Promising maybe but not up to that standard. How many first team appearance for Spurs to date?

 

[EastStandBlue]

Winks as a starter at the top international tourney, surely not. Promising maybe but not up to that standard. How many first team appearance for Spurs to date?

He played 21 games in the Prem last year. A further five so far this year. Dele Alli had around the same number under his belt when he made his England debut and now he's one of the first names on the team sheet.